


Barson Family Stories

by TribalVipe



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Adopted Children, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-10-04 07:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10271840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TribalVipe/pseuds/TribalVipe
Summary: Follow Liv and Raf as they navigate domestic life with their two children.





	1. Algebra

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I wanted to write a Noah/Barba one shot and this is what came up. I decided to start a little series featuring domestic Barson because I need a little fluff and humor sometimes, too. Also, I chose a teen rating just because of some words and content.

Rafael held back his groan and let it bubble in his throat when he saw the dreaded equations spread out in neat columns on his son's homework. Math wasn't his strongest subject in school and frankly, he didn't need much of it during his years at law school. The thought that he would ever encounter those dreaded, jumbled mixture of numbers and letters again never even occurred to him.

Then he married Olivia Benson and all the sudden he was encountering all sorts of things he never even thought possible. Unfortunately, one of those things happened to be the homework assignments his son brought home every other night. Turns out, he wasn't a math wizard much like himself and favored the written word that came natural to both.

"Dad," Noah sighed, dropping his mechanical pencil on the table and slouched in his seat as he stared at the man across the table, "I think it's time to put us both out of our misery."

Barba wanted to laugh at the sudden seriousness his usually silly eight-year-old was talking with. The only time Noah was serious about anything was his dinner (the boy had an appetite that could rival his own sometimes) and his Saturday morning cartoons. Seeing him so down and kicking his feet under the table struck a chord deep in him somewhere, though.

"What do you mean?"

Noah bit his lip and looked away from him for a few seconds. Whatever he was about to say, he was nervous.

"I want a tutor," he said quietly, bringing his left thumb up to his mouth and bite at the nail. He still refused to meet Rafael's eyes and the man was a bit shocked that he was sensing some trepidation from his son. It wasn't something he'd ever felt coming from the boy before and it unsettled him greatly.

"Don't bite your nails, bud," Rafael said before he leaned forward and folded his arms on the table. He moved aside the legal pad he was writing on before Noah came out from his room with his backpack. He waited for Noah to release his thumb and lace his little fingers together in his lap.

"We can take you a tutor if that's what you want," Rafael started, watching as Noah met his eyes and nodded sadly, "Are you afraid I was going to be mad?"

Noah nodded again silently. Rafael felt a deep pang of sadness in his chest that his son thought he was going to make him mad or set him off. Noah had unfortunately witnessed him go off on an angry rant before, but it was never directed at him or his wife. His job was stressful and frustrating, so much that it was difficult for an eight-year-old to fully understand.

It hurt him to think that his son could ever think he would get angry with him like that. He made a quick mental note to beat himself up later so he could take care of the situation sitting in front of him. His little man needed reassurance.

"Noah, I wouldn't ever mad at you about something like that. If you want a tutor, we can set that up."

"But I don't want you to think that I think that you're stupid!"

Rafael chuckled, running a hand through his product-free hair, "I know you don't think I'm stupid."

"Because you're like the smartest person ever, dad!"

Noah punctuated the sentence by quickly climbing down from his chair and running around the table so he could throw himself at Rafael. The lawyer plucked the boy right off the ground and sat him on his lap, kissing his temple before he pulled back and grabbed Noah's face, fingers squishing his cheeks.

"You're darn right I'm the smartest person ever!"

Noah pushed his hands away, giggling wildly before he leaned against the man's chest, "I love you, daddy."

Rafael smiled softly, feeling the same overwhelming, heart-bursting love he always did whenever his boy said those words. God, how he loved that child. He was one of the best things to ever happen to him and he would move worlds just to make him smile.

"I love you too, buddy."

For the next hour and a half, the two sat and tried their best to solve the troublesome math problems, scouring the textbook and checking the index and cheat sheets for the answers but none of the work to show for them. After they hit the two-hour mark, Rafael growled and snatched his laptop from the office and quickly opened the web browser.

Liv found them twenty minutes later, sprawled out on the floor of the living room, Noah looking back and forth from the screen to his paper while Rafael scribbled notes of his own, getting his own work done while he helped Noah cheat on his math homework.

Liv sighed and dropped her keys in the tray by the front door and set her four-year-old daughter down (who scampered off to her room almost immediately), giving her husband a clear look of disapproval as she took in the scene before her. Noah just smiled and greeted her, not knowing that what he was doing wasn't exactly making her the happiest camper alive. Rafael knew, though, and gulped when she mentioned they would be having a talk later.

She wouldn't admit it, but she enjoyed the nervous look he gave her while their son happily jotted down the answers to his homework sheet, thankful that he would be getting an A on his math homework for once.


	2. First Girlfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You know you love worry wart Barba.

Noah groaned for the fifth time that night, sending Brie an apologetic smile before he all but glared at his dad standing in the doorway, holding a tray with a few cans of soda and some assorted snacks.

"Who's ready for a study break?"

"Dad…," Noah ground out, trying not to sound so annoyed because he knew what his dad was doing. Ever since he told his parents he had a girlfriend, his dad was acting like it was the end of the world. It was a reaction he would have expected out of his mom, but she was being far more reasonable and level-headed about it. A few simple questions before she dropped the topic all together, content that her son was happy and waited until he was sixteen before starting to date.

His dad on the other hand…

"Hey, young minds need nourishment. So I brought you some trail mix and a few drinks," he entered the room and arranged the tray on his son's desk, eyeing the books open on the bed and noting how close they were sitting. Rafael's eyes narrowed, sensing that he may have interrupted something before and glad he entered when he did.

"So, working hard on your assignments?"

"Dad, I think mom needs your help out in the living room," Noah said loudly, looking past his dad and out into the hallway. He could see the light from the living room, knowing that's where his mother was camped out working on her paperwork. She laughed at him earlier when he made her promise to keep tabs on his dad that evening.

" _Mom he's being super weird about this," Noah whined, shoving a handful of crackers into his mouth while he watched his mom lock up her gun and badge. Liv scoffed at his bad manners and told him to make sure he didn't drop any crumbs on her bedroom floor. She had to laugh though, knowing just how important this little study date with Brie was to him._

" _Noah, your dad just wants to make sure you're surrounding yourself with good influences," she explained, having heard the entire, drawn-out explanation from her husband the night the teenager told them about his girlfriend. The amount of time she spent reassuring the grown man was staggering, but she didn't mind it. Watching her husband be protective of his kids wasn't something she'd ever pass up seeing._

" _Mom…just promise me. I love dad but he can be so over-the-top sometimes," he pleaded, adding in a pouty lip for good measure. She just rolled her eyes and waved him off so she could change._

" _I'll keep him preoccupied but you know how he can be."_

Noah could hear his mom shuffling down the hall before she appeared in the doorway, glasses still on her face and her hair up in a bun. She didn't say a word but grabbed her husband's arm and dragged him from the room, noting the silent 'thank you' her son gave her.

Rafael sighed and let his wife drag him back to the couch where both of their files and notes sat waiting. Daniela shook her head at her dad's reappearance, finding it hilarious that her brother was taking the brunt of all their dad's worry wart tendencies.

"Liv, they were sitting really close," he argued, shaking off her hand as she curled back up on the couch and sipped her glass of wine. Rafael fell back into his spot, slouching as he sent another feeble look back towards the hallway where their son's room was.

"Honey, I don't think they're going to be doing much more than studying," she said, reasoning with him as she picked up where she left off in her documents. Rafael just sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any sort of back-up where his wife was concerned. She told him about Noah's insistence that she keep an eye on him and truth be told, it hurt a little. He was only trying to watch out for his son.

Both he and Liv had seen so much on their jobs. Teenagers falling in with the wrong crowd, Romeo and Juliet stories that didn't end well for anyone involved. The stage in life his son was currently going through was crucial in his future and he didn't understand how is wife didn't worry like him.

Was he being too protective? Too overbearing?

"I just worry, Liv," he said quietly after a moment, picking at a stray fiber sticking out of their old couch. His eyes focused in on the television show their daughter was engrossed in as he felt his wife's sympathetic eyes land on him. They were both quiet as Dani got up from couch and announced her leaving to the bathroom, asking if they wanted anything on the way.

"Raf," Liv stared as soon as Dani was out of earshot, "He's a teenager. He's going to want to date and go out and have fun with his friends. We can talk to him and do everything we can to protect him but we're not always going to be around. I know you worry and I worry too, but our boy has a good head on his shoulders. We both saw to that."

Rafael was silent as he soaked up his wife's words. He knew she was right and he was being too overbearing and protective. They talked to both of their kids regularly, making sure they understood repercussion to decisions they wouldn't ever make, hopefully.

He just loved his kids so much.

"Besides, Noah knows the rules. No kissing until he's 17," she said, leaning over and planting one on his lips to punctuate her sentence. Rafael laughed, feeling a little better. That was one rule they both made sure Noah would agree to. The teenager thought it was incredibly ridiculous and there was more than a possibility he would go behind their backs and do it anyhow, but what they couldn't see wouldn't hurt them.

"Now let's order some pizza because I'm sure these kids are starving," she said and reached for her phone, feeling her stomach beginning to rumble from hunger. Rafael smiled and settled in, ready to jump back into his work now that his worry had dissipated a little.

Daniela chose that time to walk back out from the hallway, a disgusted look on her face and she mumbled, "Gross."

"What was that sweetie," Liv asked, scrolling through her phone to get to their favorite pizza place. Daniela trekked back into living room and sat back down in her spot, resting her legs over the arm of the couch once more.

"Noah and his girlfriend are making out on his bed," she said casually, adjusting the pillow under head and sighing as her show came back from commercial break. It was quiet for all of a few seconds before both of her parent's shot up from the couch and marched the way to her brother's bedroom.

"Noah!"

Daniela smiled and just turned up the volume on the television.


	3. That's My Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love the idea of a Barson baby being an argumentative know-it-all/lawyer in the making. It's just so fitting for both of them :D

Liv adjusted herself in the small yellow chair she found herself sitting in.

It was uncomfortable and meant for a kindergartner, but this was a last-minute meeting with her daughter's teacher and the woman was still teaching. She sighed for the eighth time, scrolling her e-mails as a message notification popped up from her husband.

He was also stuck in a meeting and the DA was as long winded as could be. She felt sorry for him whenever he was roped into those meetings, knowing he would be there for a solid three hours and pretending to be interested in whatever the man was talking about. Luckily, he could send her a few quick messages between topic changes, but couldn't leave to join her.

A bit of dread settled in the bottom of her stomach because she wasn't sure why she was here to begin with. Daniela's teacher assured her daughter wasn't in trouble and was the perfect little angel. Liv wanted to snap on the woman, having been in the middle of an intense interrogation when she got the phone call and she still wanted to snap on her now.

Pulling her in for a meeting for seemingly no reason? She ought to give the woman a piece of her mind. Although, it was a nice change of pace to see her little girl during the day. These past couple of weeks had been hectic for her and she usually ended up arriving home just minutes past Dani's bed time. Even if she only got a minute for some hugs and kisses, she would take it. Before she left the precinct, her and the detectives figured they'd all be pulling a late shift.

Liv locked her phone and shoved it back into her purse, tapping the floor with one of her heels, getting more and more impatient by the second. Fortunately, a few seconds later the door to the classroom swung open and a gaggle of kids excitedly formed a line down the hall, lead by a young woman who she recognized as a student teacher.

"Mommy!"

Daniela broke out of the line and bee lined it for her, jumping into her mother's arms and asking her what she was doing there. Liv gave her a big kiss and hug before setting her down, fixing her shirt.

"I'm here to speak with your teacher, sweetheart," she said, giving her another kiss on the forehead.

"Captain," Mrs. Richardson greeted her, following the last student out of the room and smiled at the two, "Thank you for coming."

"Its no problem," Liv said easily, lying through her teeth, "Baby go get in line."

"Can you come with me, mommy?"

Liv avoided the puppy dog eyes, knowing just how good the little girl was at pulling both her parents in. Liv was smart enough to not look at her when she did it, but her husband was a sucker for those big blue eyes. He didn't even have to be in the same room as her and they worked.

"I can't honey. Mommy has to go back to work but I'll try and be home for dinner, ok? We can have pancakes," she explained, twirling a strand of her long brown hair. Daniela was saddened for a moment but excited at the prospect of her favorite food for dinner. She gave her mom a parting hug before catching up with the rest of the line, adorably hugging one of her friends before they made their way down the hall.

Liv smiled as she watched her go before she directed her attention towards the teacher waving her in to the classroom.

"So what is this meeting about? You mentioned she wasn't in any trouble," Liv states, sitting in the adult sized chair and setting her purse on the floor. Mrs. Richardson walked around her desk and nodded, sitting down and pulling in her chair. She was quiet for a moment, lacing her fingers together.

"Daniela is a wonderful, smart girl. She's well behaved and very helpful with no discipline problems whatsoever," the red-head reassured. Liv nodded, happy to hear such praise from the woman but still confused about why she was there.

"Is there any problem?"

"Well," the woman began, "There is one thing I would like to ask you."

Liv crossed her legs and waited patiently for the woman to ask her question, noting the hesitance and slight nervous twitch of the woman's fingers fiddling with a pencil.

"Do you and your husband…argue a lot at home?"

That was not a question she was expecting at all to hear. Not at all. It was so far out of left-field she simply sat there like a speechless idiot for a moment. Of all the things that could have come out of the teacher's mouth, it was a question about the state of her marriage?

That urge to snap on the woman was growing by leaps and bounds, now.

"I'm sorry?"

"Daniela likes…to argue quite a bit with me. She also tends to correct me, too."

Liv nodded slowly, her hand curling into a fist on her knee. Who the hell did this woman think she was, asking such a question? And what did her daughter have anything to do with it? Liv breathed in deeply, willing her growing rage to quell.

"And?"

Mrs. Richardson noticed the barely concealed anger the woman in front of her was displaying and tried to placate the woman as much as she could.

"It just seems like she's been exposed to some level of parental argument. Most children who display those behaviors in the classroom have seen those interactions at home."

Liv didn't move, too angry to even say anything as she looked straight into the teacher's eyes.

"Now you seem very level-headed and in control. However…," the red head trailed. Liv was still not moving or saying anything but her fist was twitching and her other hand was dangerously close to the weapon attached to her hip still. Mrs. Richardson said the next few words with caution.

"…does your husband yell at your children a lot?"

"Ok," Liv said loudly, standing up and grabbing her purse, "We're done here."

Liv stomped her way over to the door, ignoring the pleas for the woman to stay and hear her out, but she was having none of it. The audacity of this woman to even suggest her husband, the biggest doormat for his kid's ever, was a bad influence on her daughter was unbelievable.

"If my daughter is arguing with you, then it's for a good reason. You might want to check up on what you're teaching them, too. If a six-year-old is correcting you, you might want to go back to school for an extra two years. Good day, Mrs. Richardson."

Liv closed the door on her way out, leaving the woman looking wide-eyed a bit nervous, like she knew she overstepped and wanted to backtrack. It may have not been the smartest way to handle things, but no one was going to make her husband out to be the bad guy.

It was a quick trip back to work and a few hours later, her husband showed up with fresh coffee and the requested warrant she texted him about a while ago.

"Hey," he entered the office after a quick discussion with Amanda and Fin and gave her a quick kiss before handing her the latte, "How did that meeting with Daniela's teacher go?"

Liv just rolled her eyes and leaned back, "Well, Dani likes to argue with her and correct her in front of the class. So in case there was any doubt before, we now know for sure she's your little girl."

Rafael had to laugh out loud, glad that that was the only reason his wife was called in. Although, judging from the not so pleased look on his wife's face, it wasn't all fun and games.

"I'm guessing you two didn't quite get along," he said, taking a seat on the couch and getting comfortable. Liv joined him, placing her hand on his knee as she sipped her coffee.

"Not at all. But look at this way…she knows not to talk about my man like that ever again."

Rafael looked at her confusedly and questioned what he had to do with it. Liv just shook her head, "Don't worry your pretty little head over it. Oh, and instead of medical school, we should probably start saving up for law school instead."

Rafael quirked a smile and threw his arm around his wife's shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"That's my girl."


	4. Late Night Blackmail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: :D This is based off the fact that I've blackmailed my younger brother more times than I can count. Enjoy!

Noah had never been so quiet in his entire life.

He pulled his apartment key out of the door knob, making sure he held the rest of the keys to prevent them from jingling loudly into the darkened apartment. He took just as much care to shut the door after him, wincing when it clicked.

Half past 1 a.m. and he had practically raced home after he woke up from a nap at his friend's house. He hadn't even remembered falling asleep, but he woke up with his head in a text book, on his friend's floor and drool crusting on the side of his chin.

When he looked at the time on his dad's borrowed wrist watch, he nearly shrieked at what he saw. His phone, surprisingly, had no text or missed call notifications. That was a miracle in and of itself. Usually, either one of his parents sent him messages throughout the day, reminding him to do something or to make sure he was home before curfew.

His 11 p.m. curfew.

He was an hour and a half past curfew and his parents hadn't attempted to get a hold of him. He was also honestly shocked that his mom hadn't sent his Uncle Fin out after him, like that one time he lied about going to his friend's house and ended up in the park a few blocks over.

It was so weird they hadn't tried contacting him, he was honestly afraid for a moment. Had something happened to them? Were they still working the night away on some big case and simply forgot he wasn't at home?

Or, maybe, they trusted him enough to know he was going to be home on time. The fact he could traverse the city by himself had been a fight. Both of his parents had seen so much on the streets with kids his age getting into trouble, naturally they'd want to keep him safe and sound.

But that meant never leaving the apartment and Noah had friends who he wanted to hang out with from time to time. Plus, he was a senior in high school. He was an A+ student, but he didn't want to be an anti-social weirdo on top of that.

So, an 11 o'clock curfew was set in place for the weekends, allowing him to leave after school and go wherever he wanted in the city, so long as he stayed out of trouble and his grades didn't slip. That wasn't an issue for the teen. Most his friends were AP students and all they ever did was study, anyhow.

Noah peered into the darkened living room as he kicked his shoes off and set down his bag, seeing nothing except for a small kitchen light that was always left on. He sighed in relief, knowing he was going to make it off scot-free. All he needed to do was make it down the hall and into his room, change into his pajamas and fall asleep. Hopefully, his parents wouldn't have noticed him failing to meet curfew.

He didn't want to face the repercussions of such an act.

Noah was about halfway to his room when there was a click of the lamp in the living room, scaring him half to death as light flooded the living room. Noah squeaked and whipped around, ready to plead his case to his mom or dad but came face-to-face with his younger sister instead.

"Dani, seriously? You scared the crap out of me," Noah whispered harshly, glaring at her as mean as he could. Daniela smirked and crossed her arms and legs, leaning back in the arm chair and looking far too much like their dad getting ready to make a deal with some sketchy defendant.

"Well, well, well," she said softly, fully aware of her slumbering parents down the hall. Both had fallen out mere hours after dinner, exhausted from long days in the office. They said their goodnights to her, changed into the pajamas and were asleep before their heads hit the pillows. Dani even had to pull the blankets over them and shut their light off for them.

Her poor workaholic parents.

"Where are mom and dad?"

"Asleep," she said casually, eyeing her nails, seeing her busted pinky nail she hurt in volleyball practice earlier that afternoon.

"What time did they go to bed," Noah sighed, crossing his arms and getting more annoyed by the second. No doubt was his sister about to blackmail him. She'd done it before. Like that one time when he spilled grape juice all over his dad's favorite dress shirt or when he accidentally broke his mom's favorite coffee cup. Dani had a knack for showing up and taking advantage of his mistakes.

A perfect lawyer in the making, if he was being honest.

"9. Didn't even bother to ask where you were," she said, uncrossing her legs and standing up to stretch. Noah sighed again in relief, knowing he was off the hook if Dani's request was manageable.

"Then what do you want for your silence? Make it quick, I'm tired from running all the way home."

Dani smiled and approached him, smiling like a shark. She looked intimidating, even in a big, fluffy, lavender robe and elephant slippers. It made her very small frame appear comically larger.

She came to a stop in front of her brother and crossed her arms again, shifting her weight to one foot and cocking an eyebrow as she stared straight at him.

"200 bucks."

Noah's eyes almost bulged out of his head and he shook his head, almost knocking the hat off his head. Was she crazy? He relied so heavily on that piece of equipment, it wasn't funny. How was he supposed to get his homework done?

"Are you crazy?"

"A little," Dani smirked, "But mostly I need money for a homecoming dress and I spent all my saved cash."

Noah rolled his eyes and hung his head again, not even bothering to lay into her about being irresponsible with her money. All that money, gone on clothes, probably.

"You had, like, 300 dollars! No deal."

"Then I'm telling mom and dad you stayed out partying."

Noah scoffed, "They won't believe you."

"Won't they?"

"No, they won't because they know I can't even handle the taste of beer," he hissed loudly, forgetting the fact that his parents' bedroom wasn't that far away from the living room.

"I know, you pansy," Dani said back, smiling at her brother's offended stare but growing angrier by the second.

"You're an idiot."

"No, you're an idiot!"

"You suck!"

"You suck times infinity!"

The light ceiling lights clicked on and both jumped and looked towards the hallway, seeing their mom rubbing at her eyes tiredly, her hair stuck to her face and her pajamas skewed. There were lines down the side of her face, showing just how hard she'd been sleeping.

"You both are idiots and you both suck."

Dani and Noah glanced worriedly at their mom, who was waking up more and more by the second. Both looked at each other, silently trying to communicate with each other. They had a typical sibling rivalry. They would occasionally throw each other under the bus (lovingly) if it meant saving their own skin from their parents' wrath's.

It was turning into one of those moments, except, they were too little too late.

"Noah, you're grounded. I don't care what your excuse is. Home. Every day after school for the next week."

Noah didn't bother groaning and just nodded, glaring at his sister's bratty smirk she was secretly sending him.

"And you, young lady," Liv rounded on Dani, who went wide-eyed at the deadly tone, "You need to start being more responsible with your money. I better not catch you blackmailing your brother again."

Dani stuttered, trying to back track and explain but Liv cut her off again, "Save it. Now, both of you to your rooms. Don't expect breakfast on the table in the morning. Your father and I are going out."

Liv turned on her heel, enjoying the defeated looks on both of her children's faces despite her tiredness. Before she made it all the way down the hall, she said, "Goodnight, love you."

She smiled at their mumbled responses, sounding as down and out as they looked.

"Love you, too."


	5. Meanie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm loving my OC and I hope you guys are, too. She's got spunk.

"Daddy?"

Rafael looked down at the three-year-old holding his hand, her little legs walking to keep up with his slowed down pace. He offered to carry her up the steps of the court house but her immediate cry about being a big girl was heard loud and clear.

However, she didn't realize just how daunting those court house steps could be and she stopped them halfway up, her little arms reaching up towards him. He chuckled and bent down, easily scooping her up in his arms along with his briefcase, making sure her little bookbag didn't go flying off her shoulders.

"Thank you, daddy," she said politely, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked the rest of the way in the building. Rafael just kissed her forehead, smiling at a few surprised glances from his coworkers milling about the building.

He supposed they hadn't ever seen him interacting with his own children before. They'd only been to his office a few times over the past couple of years. Once for his birthday, another time because Lucy had prior family commitments and a handful of quick visits in between. Truthfully, he didn't want them near his work or his wife's job when there was a possibility suspects and dangerous criminals could be in the vicinity.

Their kids were aware of the dangers of both of their jobs, but they didn't need to witness it.

"Mr. Barba," Carmen greeted as soon as he entered the office, "Dani! Hello!"

"Carmen!"

Rafael chuckled and set his squirming daughter on her feet so she could launch herself at the assistant. He watched as Carmen gave her a quick hug before she reached into her desk and pulled out a piece of chocolate from the stash in her desk. Dani babbled about how much she loved chocolate while Rafael settled in for the work day. Hopefully, they could make it through without incident or any unplanned drop ins.

Unfortunately, three hours later, Buchanan came stomping into his office with his voice raised and ready to belittle Barba and the charges he was pressing against his client. Dani, who'd been coloring away in her favorite coloring book, looked concerned at the large man standing in front of her daddy and yelling at him.

Barba stood, not giving the man the opportunity to tower over him as a form of intimidation. Buchanan wasn't intimidating. He was just annoying and loud.

"Your detectives have been harassing my client, Mr. Barba. There's no reason for them to be dropping in on him every single day this past week. It's unnecessary and aggressive."

"Maybe if there wasn't a possibility that your client wasn't still ra- "Barba stopped and looked behind Buchanan, looking at his daughter who was staring back at him with her head cocked and a crayon clutched in her tiny hand. Buchanan was confused and glanced over his shoulder, straightening a bit when he finally took notice of the little girl sitting at the table.

"… _hurting_ other women, they wouldn't have to be constantly following and checking up on him."

Buchanan scoffed, immediately forgetting about the girl's presence to make his point. Dani flinched a little bit when the large man raised his voice and she furrowed her brow, not liking the tone of his voice and the way he was talking to her daddy.

She didn't like it at all; she threw her crayon on the table and hopped down off the chair. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and shoved her balled up fists on her hips, stomping her way over to the large man until she stood right next to him.

Neither her daddy or the big man noticed her presence, too busy talking loudly at each other to see her come over to them. It was getting annoying and finally, Dani decided to take matters into her own hands. This guy wanted to yell at her daddy? Then she would help him out!

Dani took one fist and starting poking at the man's belly to get his attention.

Buchanan jumped a little and looked down at the three-year-old, seeing her little face contorted into an angry glare. For a millisecond, he wanted to smile and coo about how cute she looked. She was a very adorable little girl, but after she opened her mouth, he took all those thoughts back.

"Stop talking to my daddy like that!"

"Daniela," Barba said in a warning, trying his best not to laugh at the taken aback expression on the man's face. That was one way to shut Buchanan up.

"He doesn't like you and I don't like you so you can go home you big meanie," Dani said, finger in the air as she laid down some knowledge on the big lawyer, acting as if what she said was fact. Barba came around his desk and plucked the little girl up into his arms, telling her to stop before she could say any more.

"…I'll see you in court."

Buchanan turned on his heel, grabbing his brief case and exiting the room with a stricken look on his face. Barba waited until he was out of sight before he laughed, kissing Dani's temple and bouncing her in his arms.

"Baby, you can't talk to people like that, no matter how much you don't like them," he said after calming his laughter down enough to speak. Dani flung her arms around his neck and cuddled into his chest, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry daddy. I don't want your feelings to be hurt," she said sweetly. She pulled back and kissed his nose as he set her down on the ground, scampering back off to the table to continue the picture she was coloring earlier. She planned on giving it to Carmen and then starting one to give to her daddy for his desk.

A few minutes later, Dani jumped up excitedly from the table and ran to her mommy, who walked in with Uncle Fin and Auntie Mandy. Liv scooped her up and kissed her, listening to her daughter talk excitedly while Fin and Amanda talked quickly with Barba before visiting with Dani.

Liv watched the two detectives inspect her coloring pages Dani grabbed from the table, explaining every little detail on the page.

"Everything go smooth today?"

Liv kissed her husband quickly, laughing at Dani's giggling as Fin tickled her and threw her up in the air. Rafael wrapped an arm around her waist, a smug smirk on his face.

"Buchanan came in, trying to bring me down a few notches," he said with a smile, "But I had some back up."

Rafael nodded towards their three-year-old, that had wound up in Amanda's arms and was asking about her next play date with Jessie. Liv looked sideways at him, not quite sure what he was getting at.

Rafael just shook his head, not bothering to answer her questioning gaze and instead, watched his giggling little girl light up the room around them.


	6. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: LOL, because we know Barbie would be awkward AF in this situation.

He could do this.

…

He was an articulated, Harvard educated man. Words never failed him and they wouldn't now.

…

Seriously, why was he sweating so much? This was going to be a piece of cake!

…

Liv rolled her eyes and pushed her husband down the hall, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him expectantly when he glanced over his shoulder.

He curled the pamphlet in his hand, the paper edges wet from his clammy hands. Really, he didn't even need this pamphlet. Why the hell was he holding a pamphlet?

He turned to ask Liv but the woman had disappeared back into their bedroom and closed the door. Some help she was. Rafael practiced a few breathing exercises, trying to find the perfect opening line to start this conversation.

Such…a difficult conversation.

Seriously, how did his mother do it? He remembered bits and pieces of this very conversation he was about to give, but she glossed over a lot and most of it was learned when he entered onto the dating scene as a 15-year-old. It brought a smile to his face, reminiscing about that very awkward talking to he got after he came home with a hickey one night.

Except, this was no smiling or laughing matter. This was serious. He was about to enter the proverbial lion's den with no backup (thanks to his lovely wife), no direction, and this stupid, useless pamphlet that Noah would probably be too embarrassed to look at.

He was only 12.

12!

He was too young to even be thinking about girls! Why was he doing this?!

_He's a growing boy. I'd rather he hears it from you than his friends or some website._

His wife was right and he knew it but that didn't make him any less nervous. It failed to instill him with any confidence and she didn't help matters when she tried hiding her laughter after she handed him that damn pamphlet.

Rafael threw the paper on the counter and looked at it like it was crazy. He didn't need that stupid thing. It was sex! He was a damn near expert on the topic like most married men were his age. He didn't need some stupid informational paper to help him!

Psyching himself up, Rafael marched towards his son's door and knocked gently. He waited a few seconds before he opened the door, poking his head in to see Noah on his laptop, typing away on the keyboard with an open text book on his lap.

"Hey kid," Rafael greeted. Noah looked up from his computer and smiled.

"Hey dad," he greeted back and typed a few more words, "What's up?"

"Just checking in on you," Rafael moved further into the room and shut the door behind him. He looked around the room, making a mental note to tell Noah to clean the pigsty before dinner.

"Everything ok?"

Rafael turned and looked to see Noah closing his laptop, looking unsure as to why his dad was acting so weird.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," Rafael said casually, pulling out the desk chair. For a second, he thought about how he should sit. He didn't want to cross his legs and look closed off. He wanted his son to ask him questions if he had any and Noah was big on body language. If he thought for a second this talk was going to be negative, he wouldn't be able to get a word in.

So much like his mother, it was unreal sometimes.

"Ok…," Noah sat up and crossed his legs, moving a pillow into his lap and resting his arms on it. Rafael sat awkwardly in the desk chair and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He wanted to play it cool and make this educational. He didn't want it to seem like he was preaching to the boy, but he wanted to drive the whole point of this conversation home.

"Dad? Are you sure everything is ok?"

"Yes, everything is fine. Why do you think something's wrong?"

"Because you're at a loss for words…," Noah leaned forward, "and that's kind of scary."

Rafael had to chuckle at that, realizing his behavior probably was a cause for concern. Not often was it that his kids saw a 'speechless Barba' and when they did, it threw off everyone's equilibrium. While Noah looked relatively calm, he could still tell his unmoving mouth was starting to worry the pre-teen.

"Everything is fine. I'm fine. You're fine. I just wanted to talk to you about some things."

There was a beat of silence and Noah instantly perked up, immediately thinking the worst without Rafael ever alluding to it.

"Are you and mom getting a divorce?"

Rafael reeled back, genuinely appalled at the question. He quickly dispelled those thoughts but couldn't help but question why that was a go-to thought.

"Andrew's dad said he wanted to talk to him about some things and it ended up being about his parent's getting a divorce," Noah said quickly, looking relieved that that wasn't the reason his dad wanted to talk. Rafael just nodded and quickly jumped into the conversation, having wasted precious time. He was beginning to lose his nerve and confidence and he needed both to get through this talk.

The talk.

The birds and the bees.

He took a brief second to mourn the loss of his son's innocence, knowing that it was nothing but a downward spiral into the dating world from that moment forward. They'd all been through it and the thought that his boy was going to be facing first kisses and first heartbreaks was threatening to break him.

Parenting was tough business sometimes.

"Noah…do you know…about…how babies are made?"

The question came out in a weird inflection and hung in the air between them. Noah's face scrunched up in confusion and Rafael sighed, knowing at that moment that none of this was going to be easy or a piece of cake.

"Uh…well, I'm guessing it doesn't involve magical beans being planted in a garden like you told me when I was 7."

Rafael remembered that. They'd taken him and their, at the time, three-year-old daughter to the park for the afternoon and Noah had asked about a heavily pregnant woman and why she was carrying a ball under her shirt. The following conversation had been rushed out by Liv, not wanting to talk more on the issue and hoping to satisfy her son's curiosity.

"No…no it does not."

"So…what does it involve?"

Ok, this was it. This was when all the real information was going to come into play. Rafael carefully tried thinking of what he was going to say next, how he was going to explain things in a way that wasn't too graphic, but just right for Noah to understand completely.

"Uh…so…basically…," Rafael ran his palm over his forehead, wiping away the sweat and transferring it on to his jeans, "…so it goes like…this…"

Noah was two seconds away from calling for his mom, honestly starting to get worried about his dad. He was all sweaty and nervous and couldn't talk and it was so weird for his dad to be acting like that. His dad was always confident and knew just exactly what to say.

Now he was just a mess.

"Dad…maybe you should go lay down or something. You don't look too good," Noah suggested, standing up and placing a hand on Rafael's shoulder. Rafael just grumbled and stood, walking past Noah and out of the room.

He walked back in a few seconds later and handed the crumpled pamphlet Liv provided to his bewildered son, leaving strict instructions on what to read.

"Write down any questions you have and leave them on my desk in the den," Rafael said quickly, red-faced and quickly exited after patting his son on the back. He barely heard Noah's reply as he shut the door and sped off to his den, intent to bury the incident, lie to his wife (and somehow manage to get away with it) and move on with life.

Later, Noah walked out of his room with wide eyes and hugged Rafael, covertly letting him know he understood and the lawyer nearly doubled over in joy. Noah saved them from an awkward conversation and Liv believed his little white lie.

Life was good…

**4 Years Later…**

"Don't forget this," Rafael smiled as he slipped an old pamphlet to his wife, who looked annoyed and rolled her eyes behind her reading glasses. They stood outside their daughter's room, listening to the soft music playing behind her door.

"Please. I don't need this," Liv scoffed and shoved the pamphlet back at her smug husband and entered her daughter's room as he walked back to the living room to rest on the couch.

Five minutes later, he chuckled as his wife frantically grabbed for the reading material on the coffee table, stopping long enough to smack his shoulder before shuffling back to Dani's room.

Life was funny, but it was still good.


	7. The Stare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ready for some sad Barba? Trust me, it's nothing bad.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"He's doing it again."

Liv hung her head and set her glasses on the coffee table, abandoning the book she was trying to read because she had to, yet again, stop her husband from the endless staring match he was having with their daughter.

"Raf. You're creeping your child out. Stop."

He didn't respond. He just sat there, elbows on his knees and looking like a kicked puppy while he watched Dani neatly fold and pack her suit case in the middle of the living room floor. Her room was already packed up, boxes of her knick-knacks and brand new room décor sat in the foyer of their apartment.

The boxes had been accumulating all week, but this little staring thing her husband was doing started long before that. Just right around the time Dani was accepted into NYU, where Noah was attending.

First, it was just a for a few seconds at a time across the dinner table as their girl excitedly talked about orientation or which courses she wanted to take first. Nothing big and nothing to worry about.

It started to progress in the months after her graduation. Every time she opened her mouth about anything regarding her impending departure to school, he immediately closed himself off and stared at her like she was ripping his heart in two.

The sad part, she was and she didn't even mean to.

Liv was sympathetic to it in the beginning, because she was sad for her daughter leaving as well. Fortunately, their experience with Noah leaving provided her with the tools she needed to face their daughter's time to leave. She was over her sadness quickly and made room for excitement, feeling happy that her daughter was so excited to start the next four years of higher education with her brother graduating in just a year.

Except, Rafael hadn't taken Noah leaving well and he wasn't going to take his baby girl leaving well either. She wouldn't ever admit it, but at first, it upset her that he was so bummed about the kids moving out and into their dorms at a college, quite literally, down the street. Maybe, she thought, he didn't want to be alone with her in their three-bedroom apartment. Maybe they were going to suffer "empty nest syndrome" and have a horrible time connecting with each other after their kids have gone.

Those thoughts were dispelled quickly, though. They both cherished their alone time together and after Noah had been moved out of the house and Dani became involved in theatre, there was plenty of it and they made sure to have a good time.

So, that wasn't an issue.

What was an issue was the fact that Rafael loved his kids so much and didn't want to see them leave. Of course, both of their children picked to go to NYU, leaving them in the city and within short driving distance. It also helped that they had close relationships with both of their kids. Noah visited often and sometimes stayed on the weekends, enjoying time with them or simply using his old room as a quiet place to study.

Thankfully, Dani expressed the fact that she was going to do that also, because she would miss them too much and she always made good on her promises.

Rafael had his moments of happiness, glad that his kids were continuing their education and doing things they loved and wanted to do with their lives. Those moments were few and far between.

"Daddy, you already have enough wrinkles in your forehead. Stop," Dani joked, shoving a pair of jeans down into the bag before picking up a hoodie and doing much of the same. Rafael just sighed and continued to stare, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

In the beginning, she was sympathetic towards him. Now, it was just annoying.

"Babe. She leaves in three days. Not to mention, she's moving into student housing like thirty minutes away."

"I know," his response was weak and he stood, leaving to the kitchen where she heard the clinking of a glass and she knew what he was doing. She shouted for him to bring her a glass of wine, to which he complied. He walked back to the couch and handed her her cup before sitting back down and resuming his staring.

Dani groaned and threw the shirt down on the ground.

"Daddy, seriously, you're acting like we're never going to see each other again. It's not like I'm leaving the city. You can visit me whenever you want to and I know you will because you _still_ drop in on Noah and he's a senior."

"I can't help it…you're my little girl," he said softly, sipping at his drink and hanging his head, his fingers tracing the pattern on his tumbler. Liv had to smile, his words warming her heart still even after all these years. Sometimes, she thought back to the years before they started dating, thinking he didn't have a fatherly bone in his body. He was all about work and winning and that's it.

It still made her heart flutter watching him interacting with their kids and she wondered why she ever thought that about him. He was the best father a kid could have asked for; the best father for her children she ever could have dreamed of.

Dani sighed and stood up from the ground and curled up next to Rafael on the couch, hugging him tightly and patting him on the back. Rafael wrapped his arms around her, sighing heavily. Liv knew hugs were the true way to her husbands heart, especially when it came from his kids.

"Daddy, I know this is hard. But I'm going to be in the city and I'm going to be here all the time! I'm pre-law and more than likely, you'll be teaching me better than the actual professors will."

Rafael laughed and kissed Dani's forehead as she pulled back. She sat back and gave him a sad smile, knowing she was the reason why he was so down all the time lately.

"I just want you to be happy and safe. Safe especially. Your mother and I don't trust college campuses as far as we can throw them. Also, boys."

Dani fought the urge to roll her eyes and glanced at Liv, who was very obviously taking Rafael's side in that whole conversation.

"Boys-"

"-Only think about one thing."

He grumbled as his daughter finished his sentence, having heard it many times during high school when she first started dating. Dani just shook her head and went back to her spot on the floor, intent on finishing up her packing.

Rafael sighed and looked over at his wife, who waved him over to her. He shifted further down the couch and leaned into her, propping his feet up on the coffee table and resting an arm on her curled-up legs. He reached for the remote and turned on the television. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, enjoying Liv's fingers leafing through his greying hair and starting to feel like things would be ok for the first time in months.


	8. Soap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Turned up the nozzle for a teensy, tiny little bit of heat at the end, but still within a T rating. Other than that, I pray none of you have ever had to deal with a similar situation as this. ENJOY.

* * *

 

"Soap! I need soap!"

Dani jumped from her position on the couch as Noah came screeching down the hall and into the living room, holding his eyes and running blind. He turned in circles frantically, not knowing which way was up.

"What's wrong?"

Dani's question went unanswered as Noah finally stopped turning and took his hands away from his eyes. He looked like he was about ready to cry and Dani's curiosity was turning into worry. He took deep, calming breaths and shook as he went to sit on the couch next to her.

Dani placed a hand on his shoulder, now completely freaked out and the movie she'd been watching still played, forgotten on the screen.

"Noah, can you tell me what happened? You're scaring me."

Noah, who was holding his head in his hands, looked over at her and ran a shaky hand through his shaggy hair. He licked his lips and took a few more breaths before he shook his head.

"It was horrible, Dani."

"What was horrible," she moved closer, leaning forwards to try and maintain eye contact. Her heart was beating faster in her chest, "I'm going to get mom and dad."

"NO!"

Dani yanked her wrists out of her brother's vice grip, giving him a dirty look. Noah put his hands up in front of him, trying to calm the both of them down before a fight broke out.

"What's your deal?"

"Dani…I saw something...no one should ever have to witness…," he whispered, lips trembling. Dani slowly sat back down, concerned. She looked back towards the hallway, unsure of whether she should call for her parents to help out. Noah clearly didn't want that to happen for whatever reason.

"The hell did you see?"

Noah closed his eyes, "…I'll start from the beginning."

Dani rolled her eyes, wanting him to get on with the story and stop being so dramatic. Whatever it was couldn't have been an emergency and she was starting to calm down, but she remained on edge a bit.

"I just wanted to ask if I could run down to Josh's really quick to grab my textbook I left there last night before we go out for dinner…," he stuttered through the sentence, but Dani didn't interrupt. She just listened as he continued.

"…So I knocked on their door and I asked them since it was closed, but they didn't respond. I thought they were probably taking a nap since it's their weekends off of work and you now they like to nap-"

"Noah!"

Dani growled in frustration, having had enough of his mindless rambling, "Just spit it out!"

"I walked in on mom and dad doing it!"

There was a moment of shocked silence before Dani's face contorted into pure horror and Noah nodded, gagging and hiding his face again.

"GROSS!"

"Shh!"

Dani covered her mouth, glancing back towards the hallway that lead to their parent's bedroom. She could feel her stomach turning in disgust at just the thought. She couldn't imagine how Noah felt, having been the one to actually see…

"Why would they do that?! It's like the middle of the day and they're old!"

They both froze at the sound of a door opening further back in the apartment and they shared a horrified look. Rafael rounded the corner of the hall and straight into the kitchen, greeting them both as he went about searching through the fridge.

Both Dani and Noah barely spoke as they watched him hum and move his hips to some tune in his head, moving various items around until the he pulled out a half-full bottle of wine from a few nights ago.

"Rafi," Liv called from their bedroom, her voice distant and a little breathless, "Hurry up!"

"Coming, babe," he yelled back, grabbing two glasses from the cabinet over the sink and hurrying back down the hall without acknowledging the two teenagers still sitting on the couch. They waited until the door closed again before they shuddered and tried to rid the mental images from their minds.

"Wanna get out of here?"

"God, yes."

* * *

 

"Mmm, thank you," Liv took the bottle from his hands and kissed him as he crawled back into bed, discarding the robe on the way. She opened the top and took a swig, sighing as she swallowed the refreshing liquid.

"Well share it," he joked, dragging it away from her lips and causing some of it to dribble on her chin. She smacked him playfully and wiped it on the back of her hand, knowing she was going to take a shower soon. Hopefully, a shared shower.

"Hey, Liv?"

"Yeah," she said, leaning back into the pillows and pulling the covers up over her body. Rafael tipped the bottle back before he asked whatever it was that was on his mind.

"Earlier…when we were, ya know…did you hear a knock on the door?"

"Uh," she started, thinking back but unable to recall such a moment. It was kind of hard considering what they'd been doing.

"Hmm…maybe it was just my imagination."

"Yeah," she readily agreed and took the bottle from his grasp to set it on the bedside table, "Now…we have still have four hours before we need to get ready."

Rafael smirked as his wife shucked off the covers and sat on his lap, "Whatever shall we do with our time?"


	9. 3 a.m.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's some fluff. Enjoy!

It was three o'clock in the morning and Rafael hadn't slept a wink.

He was tired. Beyond exhausted, he would venture to say. He had a hell of a day in the office, between having to track down three different judges to obtain a search warrant, listen to witness testimonies for three full hours on only two cups of coffee and then visit the scene for the obtained search warrant after a shocking turn of events.

He hadn't gotten home until eight and he had court at nine in the morning. To say he was looking forward to a reheated take out dinner, compliments of his wonderful wife, a hot shower, some snuggle time with his babies and then a good seven hours of sleep was an understatement.

Everything had gone according to plan, too. Liv had his food ready on the coffee table with a nice tumbler of scotch and even threw in a shoulder rub. The kids were already bathed; Dani was fast asleep in her crib and Noah was playing with his new Lego set his abuelita bought him for his birthday silently on the living room floor.

By the time he was showered and cuddled up under the comforter with Liv, he only had a good thirty minutes of blessed sleep before Dani decided she wasn't going to sleep through the night.

The baby monitor was set up on his side, but their apartment was so little, he could hear her through his door and that meant the sound would wake up Noah, who would require to be sung to sleep again and he didn't have the energy to belt out a lullaby.

He waited only a few seconds before he sighed and slid out of bed, wanting his wife to sleep despite the fact he was dead tired. She had to testify in the morning anyway and he needed her to be fresh and well rested to take on their defendant.

Sleepily, he made his way to his daughter's room and slipped in, making sure to close the door behind him. He smiled when he peeked over the railing and saw her rocking on her knees, fussing and batting at the pacifier that she probably spit out.

"Bonita," he called softly, watching as bright blue eyes lit up as she rolled over onto her back, little lip still stuck out, but her fussing had calmed down at just the sound of his voice. She smiled a bit through the tears on her little red face and waved a balled-up fist in the air, her little body wriggling with her blanket twisted around her.

He easily picked her up and immediately checked her diaper, but didn't smell anything rancid. He was thankful for that. Three months with Daniela and he still hadn't gotten used to dirty diapers and probably never would.

He bounced her in his arms as he made his way out into the darkened kitchen and grabbed for pre-made bottle, letting it warm up for a bit before he settled her back and popped the nipple in her mouth. She fed quietly for a while, holding onto it herself as she stared up at his face and cooed occasionally, smiling around the rubber in her mouth.

Eventually she gave up feeding halfway through the bottle and shoved it back in the door of the fridge before taking her back to her room and getting her settled in her crib again.

"Ok, go back to sleep, baby. I love you," he whispered and peppered her little faces with kisses. He turned around and made it almost all the way into the hallway before she started fussing again, little cries echoing out into her room and forcing him to shut the door again.

It was a little odd to him that she was even up at this time of night anyway. She'd been sleeping through the night for a good three weeks now and it was a development everyone in their apartment was enjoying. This was the first time she'd done this in a while and it was throwing him off.

He yawned as he trekked back to the crib and leaned over the side, unable to help the smile as she cooed, a smile on her face as he reappeared in her line of sight. She fussed as she raised her arms again, kicking her legs in a sign that she wanted to be picked up.

Unfortunately, that kick started a cycle that left him trying to bounce his daughter into sleep and unsuccessfully trying to set her back down in her crib. He managed to set her down and make it halfway to the door a few times before she woke up crying again, but he hadn't been out of the room in hours.

In fact, almost four hours had passed as he tiredly bounced his dozing daughter, her mouth hanging open and the pacifier dangling over the side of his arm where it was clipped to her onesie. He glanced at the clock in her room again and decided to try again, knowing it was going to be futile to even try.

Sure enough, as soon as she was out of his arms, she woke up fussing, her cries intensified because of how tired she was. He knew, because she rubbed at her eyes when she was extremely tired and Rafael was doing the same now. He hadn't ever been this exhausted before.

He leaned over the crib, letting her cry for a bit to see if that would work, although it was breaking his heart to listen to her. There was something that had to be done…something that could make her happy and that would allow the both of them to get some sleep for the night.

Rafael plucked his daughter out of the crib and leaned against the railing, using his foggy mind to try and find a solution. The rocking chair was out of the question, because he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing she was unsecure in his arms. She wasn't hungry, because he tried feeding her three more times before and that didn't work. Her diaper was clean, she had her favorite blanket and not even the pacifier in her mouth would do anything to lull her into a peaceful slumber.

Rafael sighed, ready to just accept his fate of not getting any sleep before work in the morning before a genius idea struck him and brought him out of his delusional stupor as he continued to bounce Dani in his arms.

He looked over his shoulder and down at the floral crib sheet she slept on…

Hmm…

* * *

 

Liv stretched in the bed, loving the feeling of being refreshed first thing in the morning. She slept like a baby through the night, which was odd considering she was just as bad about sleep as her husband was.

"Baby, time to get up," she said through blurry eyes, reading the glowing, red numbers of her digital bedside clock. He had court and she knew he liked to get there an hour early to prep. Not to mention, she was the first person on the stand and she needed to get up as well.

When he didn't answer, Liv reached behind her, ready to smack his arm a few times but was met with the cold side of his bed.

Confused, she turned around and saw the unoccupied spot where her normally snoring husband lay this early in the morning. Liv wouldn't have found the empty spot to be odd, except the spot was cold, like no one had been laying in it for hours.

She got up almost immediately, feeling a bit concerned at this weird morning development. She slipped on his robe he hadn't bothered to occupy and left it to hang open as she shuffled down the hall. After a quick peek in on her slumbering five-year-old, she passed by Dani's door really quick to look in the living room, possibly expecting to find him passed out on the couch.

But it was completely empty as well. And his briefcase he deposited by the door still sat by the door where he set it down the night before.

"Raf?"

She didn't call for him too loud, not wanting to wake the kids in the early morning before Lucy got there. She hummed and turned on her heel, intending to quickly find her phone and call him to see where the hell he could have gone.

She stopped outside of her daughter's room, hearing the rather obvious sounds of a man's snoring echoing into her daughter's room and slipping out through the cracks in the door. Liv opened the door and walked in, the snoring sounds growing louder the closer she got to the crib.

Liv almost burst out into laughter at the scene before her, having to cover her mouth so she didn't wake up the two sleeping at the bottom of the crib.

Rafael looked adorable, shoved into the fetal position with their daughter's blanket shoved under his head as a faux pillow, while Dani slept soundly next to him on her back. One of her little hands was touching his nose and the pacifier she spit out in her sleep was poking directly into one of his closed eyes.

The sight was threatening to make her heart burst and she quickly exited to race down the hall and grab her phone. Despite the fact that this was one of the most precious things she'd ever come across, it was great black mail material and she needed all she could get of him after she found out he had those… _incriminating_ …photos of her on his phone.

After she snapped a few, she left the room and shut the door, deciding to let him sleep a little longer than he intended to. Instead, she started some breakfast and laid out a few pain pills, knowing his back was going to be hurting when he finally crawled out of there.


	10. Fighter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Noah/Liv goodness! Enjoy!

Liv didn't like being called into the principal's office.

She'd been there quite a few times because Dani had a smart mouth and sometimes, didn't know when to quit. Just like her father. Liv pinned the blame on him, often making him handle the discipline after one of her little trips.

However, not once since Noah started school, did she ever have to go the principal's officer because of him. He was a good student with awesome grades and a good number of friends. He didn't act out; he was extremely polite and he was on the honor roll.

By all accounts, Noah was one of the good kids. Even now, halfway into the eighth grade and he hadn't turned into a rebellious little snot nosed punk like her and Rafi were hoping he wouldn't.

So, she was confused when she got the call requesting her presence in the office in the middle of the day. At first, she thought something terrible happened, because it was just that unheard of that the school would be calling her about her son. But after being reassured it wasn't anything horrible, she questioned them until they were so exasperated, they all but demanded she come to the school.

Liv had to put a few meetings on hold and let her husband know, asking him to come with, but he had an emergency hearing to go to and couldn't get out of it. She made the trip alone, taking only fifteen minutes to get there since it was relatively close to her workplace.

She had to admit, she was a bundle of nerves as she walked in and was lead back to the principal's office. They were as vague over the phone as they could be with her questioning and that set her on edge, even after their reassurance that there hadn't been a serious accident.

"Mr. Hayden, Olivia Benson is here," the secretary spoke through the crack in the door before she opened it fully and let her inside. The principal stood with a small smile, waving her towards an empty chair next to Noah. His shaggy haired head hadn't moved to greet her and his arms were crossed over his chest as he slumped in his chair.

Liv furrowed her brow when he noticed another man and woman in the room, standing behind a bigger kid sitting in a chair, complete with a black eye a fat lip and bleeding nose. The parents looked unhappy, the father staring at her own son with barely concealed rage and Liv could feel the claws coming out at just the anger she felt rolling off him.

"What's going on here?"

Liv moved to sit down but saw the Noah's bruised eyes and split lip and all but freaked out. She grabbed his chin and moved his head to face her. His jaw was set and he averted his gaze, obviously not wanting to look her in the eye.

"What happened to your face?!"

"Mrs. Benson," Mr. Hayden started but Liv didn't pay any attention to him as she slid in the chair and snapped her finger's in Noah's face, demanding he look at her.

"What happened to you?"

"…I got in a fight."

"You mean you started a fight," the dad spit out and it took all of Liv's strength and will not to turn around and shut him up. It was good thing she decided not to bring her gun.

"Noah?"

Noah was silent as she let go of his chin. He swallowed and looked away again, eyes dropping to the floor and he nodded, telling her that what the man had said was true.

"Why?"

"Mrs. Benson…there was an incident that happened during one of the passing periods that resulted in a fight between the two boys."

"Ok, what incident? It had to be something pretty bad for him to pick a fight with a kid twice his size," she pointed out, attention now focused on the principal but she kept one of her hands on her son's shoulder. She had a feeling Noah didn't just pick a fight for fun. He wasn't like that at all. If anything, he ran from conflict instead of starting it.

"Well, according to Noah, Mr. Carl…um…pulled on a young woman's bra and it came undone in the hallway."

Liv immediately perked up, knowing exactly where this was going. She eyed Noah out of the corner of her eye before glancing at the kid in the chair just a foot away from her. He looked guilty as sin but his parents sure didn't look to believe the story.

"Noah also accused him of saying sexually degrading comments to the young woman in question."

"Did she confirm this?"

The question looked to throw the principal off. The grey-haired man cleared his throat and fixed the sleeve of his suit jacket uncomfortably. Liv kept her eyes on him, knowing it was making him uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

"Well, yes, but- "

"But what? It sounds like my son was standing up for this girl."

"He punched our son in the face," the dad said angrily, pointed at his kid's face like she couldn't see. Liv stood up and faced him, moving her suit jacket out of the way so she could flash her badge as she put her hands on her hips.

"And your son was harassing a young woman."

"He was playing around. Nothing more. Kid's this young don't understand."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Liv raised her voice, feeling legitimate anger starting to seep into her bones. Noah shifted behind her and she drew back a bit, sitting down and trying to get a hold of her emotions as the principal stepped in.

"Look, the point of the matter is, is that Noah provoked a fight. We have to, by school policy, suspend him for at least a week."

If Liv wasn't mad before, she was boiling by this point.

"Ok. Now, what kind of punishment will you be giving him?"

"Punishment? He doesn't need to punished, he didn't do anything," the woman who had been silent the entire time finally spoke up, placing her hands on her son's shoulders and looking extremely offended.

"He pulled on a girl's bra so hard it came undone and was saying nasty things to her. He needs to be punished as well."

Mr. Hayden interjected, trying to placate the escalating anger growing between the two families in the office. He reached out to Liv calmly and she fixed him with a hard stare.

"Mr. Carl will be punished accordingly. We understand that what he has done is serious in nature and we will not be taking it lightly," he spared the parents a glance at their scoffs and hisses of displeasure, "But Noah will have to be suspended for a full week for instigating a fight."

Noah bit his lip and locked eyes with her but she merely nodded and patted his leg, "Fine. As long as he's punished as well."

The principal quickly doled out punishments and released them all from his office, thanking the parents for cooperating. He looked relieved when they finally exited and he shut his door. Liv wrapped an arm around her son, prepared to take him to his locker so he could collect his textbooks but he stopped her out in the lobby, avoiding looking at the kid he'd gotten into a fight with.

Liv could feel the angry glances the other parents were sending her and Noah but she didn't look at them.

"Is dad mad? Is that why he didn't come with you?"

"No, sweetie," she ran her hand through his hair and smiled, "He just couldn't get away from **court**."

She felt a bit of victory when the other parents quickly moved away from them and pushed their son out of the building. Nothing like using her husband's profession to her advantage when the badge wasn't enough.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Noah, I am so proud of you right now, you have no idea."

He looked a little surprised at her answer, but she wrapped her arm over his shoulder and told him to lead her to his locker.

"You're proud even though I started a fight?"

She nodded, "Yes, because you stood up for that girl. You saw something that shouldn't have been happening and you stopped it. I'm incredibly proud of you and your father will be too when he finds out."

Noah stood up a little straighter, feeling better about the situation now that he knew he wasn't in trouble. Liv felt like she was walking on air with the amount of pride pumping through her system. She knew Noah was a good kid with a good head on his shoulders, but the fact that he wasn't afraid to pick a losing battle with a kid twice his size over the safety of another student…

She broke out of her thoughts as her phone buzzed in her pocket and she stopped by her son's locker, waiting for him to shove his books in his backpack so they could leave. Liv read her text message and smiled, replying and shoving it back into her pocket.

"I'm going to have loads of homework to do when I get back," he grumbled, pushing his hair to the side as he led her back through the halls and out of the front door of the building.

"Yeah, but think of this as a mini vacation."

"You're awesome, mom," he smiled up at her and threw his arms around her in a hug. That was a rare display from him nowadays. He hadn't gone through rebellious phase, but he was going through the 'mom-don't-hug-me-in-public' phase that most teenage boys went through.

"I know," she patted his head and kissed the crown, "Now, your father is apparently dying of starvation, so let's go meet him for lunch."

Noah laughed but grimaced when he felt the pain in his face. Liv winced, forgetting about the fact that he was going to have some major bruises on his face in the next few days.

"Man, I hope dad doesn't faint when he sees my face. Remember when I sliced my finger open that one time I was helping you cook dinner?"

They laughed all the way to the restaurant, reminiscing about funny moments involving Rafael. As they both suspected, the grown man freaked out as soon as he saw his son's face, cursing in Spanish and promising there would be hell to pay for whoever laid their hands on his precious boy.

Noah looked around, embarrassed at the display as Liv calmed him down through her giggles before she went about telling him the full story.


	11. Sick Day

"You're a bigger baby than the five-year-old down the hall."

The comment was amusing, he had to admit, because Liv was right. Rafael groaned into the pillow, feeling the urge to blow his nose again, but not having the energy to sit up and do so. He could feel his eyes drooping closed, exhaustion settling over his form like he hadn't ever felt before.

He wouldn't have gotten sick if he hadn't decided to be nice and take his beautiful wife lunch to her office two days ago. Half of the precinct was sick, some braving through and coughing and sneezing at their desks while others called in, worse off than the others.

Of course, he avoided those officers, choosing to weave out of the way of their desks on purpose so he wouldn't inadvertently catch anything.

His efforts proved futile, because here he was, head buried in his pillow and piled high with blankets. Unfortunately, Noah was the unlucky one of the household of four to contract the illness and the five-year-old had spent half the night coughing and sneezing, much like himself.

Liv was lucky enough to have a strong immune system and they took extra measures to ensure their one year old wouldn't catch it either. The last thing they wanted was to have two sick babies (three because Liv was adamant about including him) under one roof.

"It's no time to joke, Liv. The trial is scheduled for next week. I need all the prep time I can get. I don't think you realize how far behind I'm going to get just by missing today."

Rafael moved onto his side, sniffing his stuffed-up nose and wincing at how blocked it was. He could feel the beginnings of a head ache starting, but the thought of searching through their medicine cabinet for pills was daunting.

"You've already got this guy. With the amount of evidence we've gotten for you?"

"That doesn't do me any help if I don't know where it was found, who came into contact with it and how it connects everything together. This could all go horribly wrong, you know that."

Liv sighed and finished tucking her blouse into her slacks, her badge already proudly displayed on her belt. She pulled her hair up and away from her face with a clip, not bothering to fix it properly. She was running late, having to make sure Dani's diaper bag was prepped and ready to go for when she dropped her off at daycare.

They both hated having to resort to daycare, but the more rest her two boys could get, the better. She planned on leaving the office early anyway, so Dani wouldn't be there all day.

"Raf, honey, just get some rest. Sleep, drink plenty of fluids and keep an eye out on Noah. He was complaining about his stomach hurting earlier, ok? Don't worry about the trial for right now."

He groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes and knowing she was right. He felt the bed dip and her hand moving his arm away from his eyes a moment later. She leaned down to try and kiss him but he turned his head.

"I don't want to get you sick," he said, desperately wanting the comfort from his wife but trying to think about her health. Liv scoffed and forcefully turned his head, giving him a chaste kiss before she crawled over him and off the bed.

"I'll be back no later than three," she pulled on a grey blazer and grabbed her purse sitting on the dresser along with the diaper bag. She could hear Dani's coo's through the baby monitor on her side of the bed, reminding her she needed to get moving so she wouldn't be any later than she already was going to be.

"Ok," Raf croaked, coughing and groaning afterwards. Even though he was sick, Liv smiled and bid him a goodbye. She didn't want to disturb Noah's sleep, so she quickly peeked in on him before she grabbed Dani and left the apartment for the day.

Rafael woke up two hours later with a tiny hand pulling at the sleeve of his hoodie.

He groaned and rolled over, eyes blinking rapidly to clear the blurriness and adjust to the streaming sunlight pouring in through the window. Noah stood next to his bed, eyes red-rimmed and nose looking painfully red as well. He sniffled, hugging an old, pale blue stuffed bear to his chest along with the blanket his mother bought him for Christmas last year.

"I don't feel good," he croaked out, his little voice thick with tears as a few slipped down his cheeks. Rafael's heart twisted painfully in his chest seeing his little boy sick just like him. He grabbed the little boy up onto the bed with what little strength he had to give, maneuvering him under the blankets on Liv's side.

"Are you hungry? Do you want some soup?"

Noah nodded and sniffled, eyes blinking rapidly as they tried desperately to stay open. Rafael could feel his stomach rumbling as well and he mentally psyched himself up for the trip out into the silent apartment. Soup was what his boy wanted and soup was what he was going to get.

Rafael turned and slid out of the bed, feeling dizzy after moving so quick and he steadied himself with his hands on the edge of the bed. He felt like a gust of wind moved through the apartment, feeling suddenly so intensely cold. He shivered and reached for the thick quilt he'd been sleeping with and wrapped it around his shoulders, glancing at Noah to see him fast asleep already.

Unfortunately, his trip to the kitchen ended with no soup ingredients. Not even their cabinets were harboring a can of that crappy chicken noodle soup and he sighed in defeat, leaning against the kitchen counter for support as he shivered. He thought about calling up his wife, but it was already nearing noon and she was probably knee deep in work and she didn't need to be distracted, especially if she was out in the field.

He thought about calling for take-out, but there wasn't a restaurant near them that even carried soup for delivery, which he hated vehemently at the moment. His throat was sore and his head was starting to pound and he was so freaking cold…not to mention his baby was just as sick and was hungry and he didn't even have food to feed him.

The only conclusion he could come to was to venture out into the chilly city to grab some groceries from the little store down the street, but that would require Noah coming along and he didn't want to drag him out into the cold.

But it was looking he had no choice.

Rafael quickly got dressed in the warmest clothes he could, letting Noah sleep for a little longer before he carried him back to his room and dressed him. They probably would look comical walking down the street in sweat pants, hoodies and their winter puff jackets and hats during the spring, but it was what it was.

"Daddy, can I get a hot chocolate?"

"Yeah," he answered through a yawn, walking off the elevator and leading his sleepy son out of the building and down the street to the store. They received a few weird looks, but he paid them no mind. He was feeling a little dizzy and overwhelmed with the sudden flurry of activity around them and he felt Noah lean into his side as they quickly made their way into the shop.

They navigated through the aisles quickly, picking up some canned soup, and boxed hot chocolate they could heat up quickly. Rafael also stopped down the medicine aisle and picked up a few much needed items they didn't normally carry in their home.

Noah was quiet the entire time they shopped, rubbing at his eyes and clinging to his leg as Rafael's hands became over encumbered. On the way to the register, Noah suddenly let go of his leg and called for him, drawing his attention away from the cashier as she rang up his items.

"Daddy? Candy?"

Noah held up a big bag of mixed candy, adorably snuffling his nose as he gave Rafael the puppy dog eyes and added in a pout for good measure. Rafael didn't even bother contemplating whether it was a good decision to buy that large of a bag of candy (that wouldn't last a day in their house) and just waved him over.

It was the first time he'd seen Noah smile today and it was worth it.

***

Three hours later, Liv entered the apartment and slung the baby bag onto the sofa.

She took notice of the two empty cans of soup on the counter, along with an opened bag of cough drops and a tissue box sticking out of a convenient store bag. Liv felt a little bad she didn't have time to stop and get them anything on the way home, but it seemed as if Rafael had decided to take the initiative himself.

She could hear the soft sounds of the television playing from her bedroom and decided to go check on them, knowing both of her boys were probably cuddled in her bed and resting. After she put Dani down for her nap, she was probably going to join them.

"Let's go see where the men are," she said softly and kissed her daughter's cheek, fixing her shirt on the way down the hall. As soon as she entered the room, she stopped in the doorway and immediately took notice of their position.

They were both sitting on Rafael's side of the bed under a fleece blanket, propped up with pillows and eyes zeroed in on the television. They both looked better than they had that morning before she left and they were eating, which was a good sign. Except…

…was that chocolate?

"Feeling better?"

She suppressed a giggle when they both jumped, finally noticing her presence in the room. Rafael froze with a little piece of chocolate, halfway to his mouth, looking like a deer in headlights as he spotted his wife in the doorway. Liv raised an eyebrow, making a show of eyeing the bag of candy shoved between them and the plethora of wrappers spread out on the blanket.

Rafael looked incredibly guilty and she kind of loved it.

"It's not what it looks like, mommy," Noah said, looking equally as guilty and knowing he wasn't ever allowed to have this much candy. Liv couldn't help but laugh at that, knowing her son was trying to diffuse the situation before there could even be one. Rafael chuckled and shoved the candy in his mouth as his wife deposited their daughter on the bed and kicked off her shoes and blazer.

Dani cooed and crawled across the bed to them, already grabbing for the treat Rafael had unwrapped for her. Liv crawled across the bed as well and dropped down right next to Noah, feeling his forehead to see if his fever from that morning was gone. They both looked better but they still weren't completely in the clear.

"Enjoy your day off?"

Rafael shrugged, smiling as he winked at her and let her kiss him. Liv could feel the beginnings of a sore throat and, despite their efforts, Dani had developed a runny nose and started coughing as soon as she picked her up from the daycare.

She and Dani were more than likely going to be in the same boat that father and son were in right now, but she was resigned to her fate and looking after a tired and fussy baby when it did happen. For now, she would enjoy the chocolate that her little family was indulging in and join in watching whatever bizarre alien/UFO show playing on the television.


	12. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Nothin' but fluff, guys. It has been sooooo long since I've written something for this installment and I was excited to finish this little ficlet. Enjoy!

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"I'm getting married."

Rafael Barba sighed and slid his glasses off his face, looking down at his four-year-old daughter, hands on her hips and her lips pursed like she was daring him to tell her otherwise. He couldn't help but smile, although he knew doing so was just going to rile her up.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. To Jesse."

He chuckled and pushed his notepad away, closing the files with the crime scene photos he'd been examining. He picked her up and plopped her on his lap, slipping a stray piece of dark hair behind her ear as she leaned into his chest.

"I think you're a little too young to be thinking about marriage, baby girl."

Dani shook her head and crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at him with the most serious expression she could muster. She looked just like Olivia when she did that, and he wondered what time she would be home so the mother of his children could witness it for herself.

Liv claimed that Noah took more after her and Dani after him, often times leading her to blame Dani's know-it-all attitude on his influence, and he would admit that it probably had rubbed off on her. One of his daughter's favorite things to do was be his audience when he was practicing his closing speeches for big trials they were in the midst of. Of course, he substituted a few words to make it kid-friendly, but he came off just as confident and sure of himself during those times as well.

Dani was bound to pick up on it, and he was fine with it. Except, she had taken to doing it during her pre-school sessions, which her teachers were not so fond of.

"I'm four, daddy," she held up three fingers and then quickly shot her pinky up in the air when she realized her mistake, "I'm a big girl and big girl's get married."

"Ok," he said through a big grin, "but why to Jesse?"

"Because she's my best friend and Auntie Mandy works with mommy."

"True, but is that the only reason?"

Dani stopped and looked around, thinking for an answer to that question. When she couldn't come up with one, she shrugged her little shoulders, one of the sides of her oversized sleep shirt sliding down.

"Well you have to more than one reason to marry someone."

"Why did you marry mommy?"

Rafael hummed and stood up, deciding to move this from the kitchen to the living room, where a framed picture of their wedding dinner sat. That day was going to be seared into his memory forever. Liv's cream, knee length dress. His crisp suit. Noah, only two at the time, dressed just like him and sitting right in between them. He smiled fondly and sat them on the couch, relaxing against the cushions.

"Because, mommy and I love each other and she's my best friend and I'm hers."

"But Jesse's my best friend and I love her too," Dani argued. Rafael pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her little body like a cocoon. She pushed her face into his neck, her fingers playing with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"Yeah, but you love her as a friend. Your mommy and I love each other for different reasons."

"Like?"

"Like…I love your mommy's heart. She likes to help people and she fights for people who get hurt by others. She's strong and she's been through a lot, but she's never let that hold her down, no matter what. And, I know when to put her in her place when she needs it, but don't tell her that I know she secretly loves it."

"Do I?"

Rafael and Dani both looked over to see Liv standing by the door, arms crossed and purse hanging off her shoulder. Dani hopped off Rafael's lap and ran full force at her, kissing her cheek as Liv wrapped her up in her arms.

"Mommy, why do you love daddy?"

Rafael got comfortable as his wife joined him on the couch, awaiting her answer with a smug smirk. She rolled her eyes and sat Dani between them, running her fingers through her hair.

"Hmm…that's a hard question."

"Cute."

Liv laughed, "I love daddy because he's smart and kind and he loves to help people, even though he likes to pretend he doesn't. And he takes chances that no one else will because he knows it's the right thing to do. He's very good at what he does and we work together as a team!"

Dani yawned, eyes keeping closed longer and longer each time she blinked. It was well past her bedtime, and Liv knew the reason she was still up and roaming around was because her husband had probably been working.

"What brought on the questions?"

"Dani's getting married to Jesse."

"Ah," Liv nodded, opening her arms again so Dani could climb into them. The little girl rested her head against her shoulder and rubbed at her eyes, a sure sign she was ready for bed.

"As long as we're invited to the wedding, I don't mind."

"You're invited mommy. You can bring daddy. But Noah has to stay at home."

Liv and Rafael shared a laugh and Liv excused herself, deciding it was time for the sleepy little girl to be tucked away for the night. Rafael cleaned up his notes, realizing he was dead tired himself and ready for a good night's rest.

When Liv appeared in their room, she closed their door and tackled him to their bed, her legs straddling his hips. He chuckled when her lips kissed the shell of his ear.

"So…I like it when you put me in my place, yeah?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that," he sighed, enjoying the feeling of being at her complete mercy. There was more than the small list he'd given his daughter of why he loved this woman on top of him. More than he could possibly count.

"Well, I have a secret about you."

"What's that?"

"You like it when I put you in your place, too."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know, babe."


	13. Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't know how I managed to punch this out with how unmotivated I've been lately. Hope you guys enjoy this one! I don't own SVU or any of the characters. Enjoy.

Rafael Barba lost his wedding ring and his wife was going to kill him.

Not really, but he was going to treat the situation like she would. She found it a bit amusing, considering how he lost it and the fact she was partially to blame. If she hadn't rushed him into the shower the other night for some coveted alone time (because it was rare when you lived with a six and a two-year-old), it wouldn't have gotten lost amongst his clothing on their bedroom floor.

Like most married people, he'd grown used to having the ring on his left hand, almost to the point where he didn't even realize it was there anymore. It was like a phantom limb almost and in the past couple of weeks, he found himself reaching to play with it like he normally did throughout the day, only to momentarily freak out about it not being there.

Perhaps the worst part about it missing, were all the pointed looks his fellow colleagues gave him when they noticed the gold band absent. The awkward questions pertaining to his home life were quickly growing tiresome, as well. How many times he'd had to explain the situation was truly baffling and keeping it out of the rumor mill in both his office and hers was beginning to become an impossible task.

Hell, the other day after court, when Carisi and Amanda followed him out to the coffee cart across the street from the court house, they not so subtly asked if everything was _truly_ ok and if this whole lost ring thing was a cover up.

He still felt bad for the dressing down he gave the both of them, but it was deserved. However, it didn't bring back his lost ring.

Liv wasn't any help in the matter, either.

" _You should have worn it around your neck like I do."_

How those words haunted him. The moment they got back from their honeymoon, she expertly slipped the band through a necklace and left it to hang around her neck, just to make sure no damage could ever come to it when she was out in the field. It was always there, hidden underneath her shirt and close to her heart.

Yeah, those words haunted him. Especially now, as he stood outside his son's kindergarten room in the parent pick-up line. Usually, Liv was the one to pick Noah up from school, because he was buried underneath piles of case files and crime scene pictures most of the time. But, she was in important meetings all day and he wasn't as busy as he normally was, so he found himself leaning against a bright blue wall, carefully avoiding knocking down any of the kid's drawings pinned there.

He bit back a sigh, not wanting to alert anyone to his impatience, but he was dying to get out of there. Not because he hated this place or because he wasn't jazzed about getting to see his boy before 2:30 that day. No, his impatience stemmed from the fact that he was being eyed by a pack of single moms, decked out in running gear, no makeup and holding lattes.

They stood silently, grins on their faces as they stared him down, talking quietly amongst themselves and giggling, while primping their buns and fixing their clothing. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he focused back in on his phone, trying to respond to some e-mails while he waited.

Two minutes. He had to survive two more minutes and then he was dragging Noah to the jewelry store so he could by himself a cheap ring as a temp until he found his real one. He was tired of all the troubles not wearing one brought him and, he could stop feeling so damn bare all the time.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a hand on his forearm and he locked eyes with a busty blonde, dressed in a tight-fitting dress and heels, unnecessary for a parent pick-up line, if you asked him. This time, he didn't bother hiding a sigh as she got nice and close him, invading his personal space.

"Where has a handsome man like you been hiding all my life?"

Oh, _that_ was a line he hadn't heard before. He cleared his throat and smiled politely as he moved his arm away from her hand. She placed both hands on her hips, her grin never faltering. He could hear the whispers across the hall growing in volume.

"Picking up your child, like the rest of us?"

"Is this not the parent pick-up line?"

His sarcastic retort fell on deaf ears and, instead, he was getting quite the once over by this petite woman. She didn't hide the fact that she was interested at all. God, he wished Liv was there to save him. She would insert herself and he would pull her close and there would be no doubt who was with who.

Here, alone, with no ring, he had a big target on his back.

He glanced up and saw a few of the dad's checking the woman out, no doubt jealous that she was fawning over him instead of them. Little did they know, he wished it was reversed without the jealousy.

"Sense of humor…sexy," her voice dipped low, and she tucked her arms under her chest, "Boy or girl?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your kid? Boy or girl."

"Boy."

"What a coincidence. My son is in the same class it seems. Maybe we could get them together for a playdate sometime? You and I…can have one as well?"

Well, she was brazen.

He shuffled away a little, her gaze fierce and he grew uncomfortable quickly. He was saved by the door opening to the classroom and children being released one by one, running out to their parents as soon as the teacher signed off. He spotted Noah almost immediately, and he moved around the woman to intercept his ball of energy excitedly running to him.

"Daddy!"

"Hey bud," he pecked his cheek and set him on his feet, fixing his ruffled hair, "How was school?"

"Good! I learned stuff! And I made you a picture!"

"Oh, he's precious," the blonde cooed and bent down, and Noah leaned back as she got too close to his face, "Sweetie, do you know my son Hunter?"

Noah nodded as a blonde-haired boy came to a stop by her side, a cell phone in his hand and capturing all his attention. He tried waving, but he didn't receive anything in return. Rafael scoffed a bit and grabbed Noah's hand.

"Ready to go?"

"About that playdate…"

"Not interested, thank you. C'mon Noah."

Before they could even take a few steps, a small voice from an adorable little girl stopped them in their tracks. She held on to the straps of her backpack and smiled brightly at his son.

"Noah, my mommy wants to know if your daddy is single and ready to…," she turned to face one of the women in the group that had been eyeing him earlier, "…what was the word, mommy?"

"Back off, Roxanne," came the vicious reply from the overdressed woman who had brazenly hit on him earlier.

"Shut it, Vivi, he's not interested!"

Rafael tugged on Noah's hand and slipped down the hall, weaving in and out of a few of the other departing parents who stopped to take in the cat fight that was getting ready to start. He sighed in relief as they made it outside and into the fresh air, and for the first time in a half hour, he felt like he could breath.

"Noah, I love your mother so much," he sighed, looking down at his son who smiled up at him.

"I love mommy, too."

And he showed her that much later that night, as they both lay curled up, trying to catch their breath. Liv had found the story so incredibly funny, telling him stories about the same women he had a run in with earlier.

"You could have warned me, you know."

"That wouldn't have been any fun," she laughed and kissed his lips before she climbed out of bed so she could jump in the shower. She stopped in the middle of their room, naked and looking around on every available surface in their room. Bedside tables, dresser, even the counter in the bathroom.

"Where's my necklace?"

Rafael looked over at her as she searched frantically through the clothes pile for her missing necklace.

+

Two days later, Liv stood outside of Noah's classroom in the parent pick-up line, wishing she had her necklace to deflect the single dad's in the hallway. Usually, she pulled it out of her shirt and let it dangle proudly, using it to deflect advances.

She sighed as this tall, debonair man droned on about how lucrative his investments and couldn't help but think that this was the universe paying her back for not warning her husband about the single moms just days before.


End file.
